I.to lift up from beneath, to raise up, hold up, support (class.: esp. freq. in the trop. sense; syn.: extollo, erigo).
I. Lit.: “qui nos sibi quondam ad pedes stratos ne sublevabat quidem,” Cic. Att. 10, 4, 3: “in ascensu sublevati,” Caes. B. C. 2, 34; id. B. G. 7, 47: “alterni innixi sublevantesque invicem et trahentes alii alios,” Liv. 5, 47, 2; 28, 20, 5; cf.: “jubis equorum sublevati,” Caes. B. G. 1, 48: “erigere se aut sublevare,” id. ib. 6, 27: “terrā sublevat ipsum,” Verg. A. 10, 831: “apes regem fessum umeris sublevant,” Plin. 11, 17, 17, § 54: “inter manus sublevantium exstinctus est,” Suet. Vesp. 34 et saep.: “mentum sinistrā,” Auct. Her. 4, 50, 63: “retia furcis,” Plin. 9, 8, 9, § 31: “oculos,” Vulg. Joan. 6, 5.—
II. Trop., to sustain, support, assist, encourage, console any one in misfortune (syn.: “auxilior, subvenio, lenio, sedo): aratores (opp. evertere),” Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 92, § 215: “homines defendere et sublevare,” id. Div. in Caecil. 2, 5: “aliquem (opp. deridere),” id. Tusc. 4, 37, 80: “aliquem (opp. laedere),” id. Caecin. 9, 23: “graviter eos accusat, quod tam necessario tempore ab iis non sublevetur,” Caes. B. G. 1, 16: “oppidanos re frumentariā,” Hirt. B. G. 8, 34: “provincias liberalitate,” Suet. Tib. 48: “ad sublevandos alios,” Nep. Epam. 3, 4. —Of things: “hic est status, qui unā voce omnium gemitur neque verbo cujusquam sublevatur,” Cic. Att. 2, 18, 1.—
B. To lighten, qualify, alleviate, mitigate, lessen an evil, to assuage: “non denique aliquo mediocri vitio tot tantaque ejus vitia sublevata esse videbuntur,” Cic. Verr. 1, 16, 47: “res adversae sublevantur,” id. Sull. 27, 75: “fortunam industriā,” Caes. B. C. 3, 73: “omnium rerum inopiam,” id. ib. 3, 80: “militum laborem,” id. B. G. 6, 32: “hominum pericula,” Cic. Mur. 4, 8: “calamitates hominum,” id. Tusc. 4, 20, 46: “una illa sublevanda offensio est,” id. Lael. 24, 88: “fugam pecuniā,” Nep. Att. 2: odia, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 3, 1: “blandimentum sublevavit metum,” Tac. A. 14, 4: “nominis noyitatem dicendi gloriā maxime sublevabis,” will compensate for, Q. Cic. Pet. Cons. 1, 2.